As the COVID-19 crisis drags on, albeit with less dramatic peaks and valleys than we’ve seen so far, the economies of cities are changing. Rents are falling in major urban areas. Home values in the suburbs are increasing. Downtowns are looking unnervingly empty. Work from home is the new normal for many.
We’ve covered the broad changes in the labor market in our monthly infographics since COVID hit, but this month we wanted to do a deep dive into the labor dynamics of the changing American city. We’ll see who is looking for work, who is hiring, and how people are relocating, all through our robust Talroo Insights data.
People on the move
Between remote work, and job seekers in search of new opportunities, people are moving around. Whether it’s a temporary stay outside the city, or a full-fledged exodus to the suburbs, COVID is changing how people live and work in an unprecedented way.
Companies that have announced the option of permanent work from home:
2.975% - Today’s rate for a conventional mortgage.
10.6% - Gain of median US home prices compared to a year ago.
Number of job seekers in Talroo’s network who are willing to relocate for better job opportunities.
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Chicago27% - Decrease in Chicago rents from peak price in 2015. |
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New York City44% - The increase in suburban home sales in the NYC metro area since COVID started. |
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San Francisco12% - How much San Francisco’s rents have fallen since COVID-19 started - the largest decline ever for the city. |
96% - The increase in how much housing inventory has become available year-over-year in San Francisco, the US's most expensive housing market. |
*Sources: MSN Money, Zillow, SF Gate, NYT, Wolf Street, Realtor.com
Talroo Insights city data
Throughout the COVID crisis, we’ve brought you some broad national and state job seeker trends based on our Insights data. In this month’s infographic, we take a deep dive into a single city’s economy: Chicago.

Where are Chicago job seekers most likely to live?
1. Chicago, IL
2. Aurora, IL
3. Naperville, IL
4. Joliet, IL
5. Elgin, IL
City ranking by size
By State
National
Potential job seeker markets
Job seekers are searching for work in Chicago from locations outside of Chicago: from the suburbs, to other Illinois cities, and even other states.
Immediate area
- La Grange, IL
- Bridgeview, IL
- Darien, IL
- Berwyn, IL
- Hinsdale, IL
In-state
- Hammond, IL
- Clayton, IL
- Highland, IL
- Springfield, IL
- Decatur, IL
Out-of-state
- Hammond, IN
- Houston, TX
- Wauwatosa, WI
- Granger, MI
- Philadelphia, PA
Job seeker search activity
Talroo’s data shows a spike in job seeker clicks at the beginning of COVID, then a decline, and then an eventual stabilizing, when compared to 2019.
Top job titles
1 | Part-Time Product Tester |
2 | Warehouse Associate |
3 | Remote Book Reviewer |
4 | In-home Product Tester |
5 | Finishing Operator |
Top job categories
1 | Warehousing |
2 | Telecommuting |
3 | Trucking |
4 | Caregiving |
5 | Administrative |
Companies hiring in Chicago

Discover Talroo Insights™
For a deeper dive
Visit our previous infographics at talroo.com/resources
*** Source: Talroo’s Insights business intelligence tool sifted through 6 billion points of data including job postings and job seeker activity from March - September 2020. Insights also provides major and minor job classification data as well as geographic data from the national level to cities and zip codes.